The Swedish Occupational Register with occupational statistics, 2024
Uneven gender distribution in most major professions
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2026-01-16 8.00
The most common occupation in Sweden was “assistant nurses, home care and homes for the elderly”. It was also the most common occupation among women. The most common occupation among men was “Software- and system developers”.
Among the 30 largest occupations, the distribution by sex was even within four occupations; “Management and organisation analysts” and “Cooks and cold-buffet managers” had the most even balance between the sexes. The least balanced gender distribution was found in “Woodworkers, carpenters”, where 2 percent were women.
An even balance means that the distribution between the sexes is 40 and 60 percent respectively.
The 30 most common occupations in Sweden among employees aged 16-69 years, 2024
Definitions and explanations
Information concerning employees is reported for those aged 16-69 years classified as employed in the Population by Labour market status (BAS). The classification of employed persons is mainly based on the monthly employer reports at individual level from the Swedish Tax Agency. To be classified as gainfully employed, the person must have received a salary in November that exceeds SEK 0, or must conduct a business activity. In addition, the person must be entered in the population register in Sweden on 31 December and be aged between 16 and 74 years old. Even those who were temporarily absent during the measurement period, for instance due to sickness or parental leave, are included in the frame. The term ‘employee’ also includes self-employed persons who run their operations as a limited company.
The occupations follow the classifications used in the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations (SSYK 2012).